A male doll. A British manor. A strange family. A generous financial offer to babysit that one girl just cannot refuse.

I have to be honest; I wasn't expecting this movie to be as good as it was. I don't know whether it was the reviews that I read that swayed my opinion or just a fear that it would suck. So I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be engrossing, chilling, and original. The doll sub-genre of horror as we all know has been done before (Chucky, Annabelle etc). So I was interested to see what 'The Boy' would do differently. The horror genre is in dire need of fresh concepts. The main point of intrigue for most of the movie was the creepy fact that the family see the doll as a real boy. That in itself is eerie. Then the movie explores the backstory and we begin to connect the dots.

Actress Lauren Cohan takes the leading role of Greta. Although most will recognise her from the insanely popular hit TV show 'The Walking Dead'. Here, she has a slightly easier time than fighting off zombies on a daily basis. That is until things get scary fast! Lauren Cohan has clearly come into her own and proves she is a multi-talented actress whose abilities go further than playing Maggie in TWD. I am eager to see what other horror roles she takes. Because while her acting was impressive and realistic, I believe we haven't seen the best of her yet.

Despite Lauren stealing the spotlight with her terrific performance, we do have a few other gifted actors that help bring the movie to life. We have a charming, British man who fills Greta in on the true family history. He is the eye candy for the ladies and gays, although we do sense he genuinely cares for Greta and doesn't just want to get in her pants. And not forgetting the odd parents of the doll, who believe and act as though he is real. They are wound too tight and have clearly lost their grip with reality. Whenever they were on the screen I immediately became tense.

Overall, an impressive flick. We have a chilling backstory and unnerving moments that reach terrifying as we close in on the ending. A fast pace, fascinating characters, and a horrifying twist that I did not see coming. A twist that explains answers all our questions. The location portrays an accurate British countryside. Although not all homes are quite as impressive. If it weren't for the creepy doll I would love to live there